


(Cake and Pie is) The New Fondue

by shopfront



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Getting Together, Living Together, Multi, Post-Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-18 05:26:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14846660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shopfront/pseuds/shopfront
Summary: After his hypnotised flight, Howard is re-energised in his search. When he finds Steve and brings him home, Angie and Peggy have to find a new way to make things work.





	(Cake and Pie is) The New Fondue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mithborien](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mithborien/gifts).



"You okay, Peg?" Steve asked as she bundled him from the car to the front door.

"Exceptionally well, why do you ask?" Peggy asked in return. She could hear the distracted tension in her voice answer her own question, but she was too busy surveiling the street to do anything about it. The likelihood of anyone realising it was Steve Rogers buried under a broad brim hat and bulky trench coat were exceedingly slim so late at night. But the risk of a hoard of journalists descending on them so soon had Peggy's stomach clenching all the same. It didn't matter what promises had been made before they agreed to release him from the military hospital; Peggy would eat her own hat, and Steve's, if some politician somewhere didn't leak the news before the week was out.

"Oh, I don't know," Steve said. She had to turn back towards him to fit the key into its lock, and a familiar cheeky grin peeked out at her from under his hat. His arms snuck around her waist while she was distracted by his grin. He kept a respectable distance between their bodies though, and his eyes were somber. Concern for her showing through. "You look worried. But maybe I imagined it."

"Maybe you did," Peggy replied as she slipped the door open and ushered him through. A sigh of relief escaped her as she shut the door and leaned against it, and they exchanged smiles as they both relaxed. Then she felt the tension creep straight back up her spine as the faint sound of singing and the even fainter sound of a gramophone drifted through the residence. "Oh dear. Steve," she said, reaching for him. "There's something I need to tell-"

A voice called out before she could finish. "That you, English?"

"Yes it is, Angie," Peggy called back as she began to unbutton her coat. She shot Steve a beseeching look. "I thought you were going to be out at that big audition you were telling me about?"

"That old thing?" Angie asked as she stuck her head out into the hall. Her tone was brisk but a little chilly. "Guess I ain't, again. But who's this? You bringing work home with you, Peg? I figured it must've been busy at the office with you being gone the last few days without leaving me word, but I didn't think it could be _that_ busy."

Steve had started unbuttoning when Peggy did, and he emerged from his hat and coat just as Angie finished speaking. His face was already split by what Peggy thought of as his everyday version of the Captain America smile. Still plenty bright for the cameras, but not so bright as to completely stun innocent onlookers. Angie's mouth dropped open anyway and she froze in the hallway.

"Am I already in bed and dreaming, or is that Captain America?" Angie asked, still staring unreservedly.

Peggy grimly took Steve's coat and turned to put everything in the closet. "Yes, it seems to be," she said with an airiness she didn't feel as she turned back. "Angie, meet Steve Rogers. Steve, may I introduce Angie Martinelli. We... live together."

Angie twitched a little at Peggy's words, but she recovered quickly. Pasting a bright smile of her own on, she gestured past her to the rooms beyond the grand entrance. "Well, don't be a stranger! Come on through and make yourself at home."

She turned and padded away immediately. Steve and Peggy followed a little more sedately. Peggy watching nervously as Steve's eyebrows rose a little higher with each room they passed through.

"We got into a little spot of bother because of Howard," she explained hurriedly when he turned a silently questioning look in her direction. "He was kind enough to put Angie and I up in one of his properties after we had to leave our last home because of it."

"Guess that explains the decor," Steve said thoughtfully, stroking a cushion as they came to a stop near a circle of chairs in one of the main rooms.

"Isn't it swell?" Angie asked, re-appearing in another doorway with a pot of coffee that she held aloof in their direction. "I wasn't sure what you'd want at this time of night. I just made a fresh pot here not too long ago, or they keep the bar fully stocked for us if you want something with a little more kick."

"Coffee would be lovely, Angie, thank you," Peggy said.

Angie shrugged, and put the pot down. "I'll be back in a jiffy with some cups," she said over her shoulder as she disappeared back the way she had entered.

"This isn't the diner," Peggy said as she urged Steve into a seat with a hand on his shoulder. Quickly, she followed Angie. "Let me help!"

Angie was poking around the kitchen when she caught up, her head buried in the pantry. The cups were already out on a counter, and Peggy fetched a tray in silence as she kept one wary eye on Angie.

"I'm sorry I didn't call or come home sooner," she ventured finally.

"I'm sure that fancy new chef Jarvis keeps insisting on left us a cake in here somewhere. I don't know why she can't just leave it out on the counter like most people would. But who am I to argue when it tastes so good, I guess," Angie just replied brightly, her voice slightly muffled as she searched.

"It's just that it's been such a big few days," Peggy tried again, twisting her hands together nervously. "It's no excuse, I know, but it's taken me rather by surprise. I'd just let him go, and now it's all a little complicated. But time got the better of me and-"

"So do you need me out of your hair or what?" Angie asked as she finally re-emerged. Her face was blank except for where a muscle twitch betrayed the clench of her jaw. When Peggy simply stared at her confusion, she huffed and looked away. "Your beau is back from the war, I get it. He's a little late and all, but you don't owe me nothing, English. We ain't got no promises to break. Just say the word and I can crash with one of the theatre girls or something if you need me gone tonight."

Peggy felt her own expression go slack. She closed the few steps between them before she'd even realised she was moving, deftly tugging the covered pastry stand from Angie's hand and transferring it to the nearest counter, before she pulled Angie into her arms

Angie was stiff as a statue, but she seemed to relent slightly as Peggy tightened her grip. "Not in a million years," Peggy said fiercely. "You're not to go anywhere. Unless... unless you'd prefer to?"

She pulled back as she asked the question, but kept her hands on Angie's arms. Her first reflex was to hide the pain and worry that asking the question caused her, but one glance at Angie's expression put paid to that impulse. It was the right call. Angie's face softened as they considered each other cautiously.

"I know this is new...," Peggy said cautiously.

"Why would I want to do that?" Angie interrupted, still with a forced brightness though her voice trembled slightly on the last word. "You're here. Not to mention the phones in every room, oh, and all the cake."

Emotion tightened Peggy's throat, preventing her from giving Angie the reassurances that seemed to be stuck on the tip of her tongue. Instead she simply slipped one hand from Angie's shoulder up to the back of her head and tugged her, unresisting, forward into a slow kiss.

This time Angie was the one to pull away, though she kept her forehead pressed against Peggy's. "You should bring dead men home more often if it means you're gonna kiss me like that," she said, voice rough.

Peggy opened her eyes. Angie's were still closed, but her eyelids fluttered as Peggy brought her hand forward again to silently stroke her cheek.

"Well," Angie said finally, pulling away completely and smiling. The relief that swept Peggy when she realised this smile was genuine was a tangible, knee shaking thing. "Don't want to keep our guest waiting! You find some plates and I'll find a knife for this sucker. Seems like a good night to finally make ourselves sick on pie and schnapps. Can Captain America even get sick on pie?" She pulled the cover off the stand with a flourish as she spoke.

Blinking, Peggy turned her head down and realised that the cake stand was indeed a pie stand, after all. "Is there still a cake hidden in the pantry somewhere? And I'm sure he really would prefer it if you called him Steve," she said absently, before rousing herself to find the crockery.

"Oh, would he now? And how should I know, it's a cavern in there," Angie replied jauntily as she scooped up the tray of cups with her free hand. Peggy tried not to wonder too much about the speculative look in Angie's eye as they began to walk back towards the room they'd left Steve in. Perhaps pie might be the best way to welcome Steve home, after all. All things considered.

*

A few days later, Peggy's aching muscles protested the effort she needed to go to if she wanted to close the front door quietly. A heavy and overly decorated monstrosity, not unlike the decor in many of Howard's residences, it often refused to shut without a dramatic thump. But Peggy now had twice as many people she was at risk of waking with the noise, and after a long night on the job she had little desire to stir either of them.

She hadn't had as much time as she'd wanted to speak to Steve since his shock arrival. Luckily, he'd been a gentleman. As always. Practically tripping over his own feet not to ask too many awkward questions. So she hadn't had to try and explain anything in the brief snippets of time that seemed to be all they ever had before it was time for her to leave once more.

In some ways, it made things feel like the war all over again though. But at least this time she could look into Steve's eyes instead of only watch him on film. However complicated things might be, each and every day was always better for that.

Swallowing a groan, she kicked off her heels and paused to briefly massage her aching feet. Then she crept quietly through the sprawling residence. Idly, she entertained the thought that maybe she ought to have taken the SSR up on their offer for a few weeks off while Steve settled back into regular life. But she had so many open cases that she couldn't bring herself to hand them all over to some boorish co-worker or other.

It didn't take her long to realise she needn't have bothered trying to be quiet. Laughter drew her away from the bedrooms and towards the kitchen. What she found there brought her to a standstill.

Angie and Steve were leaning on the kitchen counter in front of one of the big, stained glass windows. The barest glimmer of dawn was sparkling through the glass, painting colours across their faces as they bent together over a single cake and dug messy chunks out of it with forks.

"You should take your show on the road again!" Angie was saying enthusiastically. "Not all the defending home and country stuff, obviously. But there's a lot of people still hurting and I bet they'd all feel a darned sight better for seeing you."

Steve was laughing and shaking his head. "Somehow I doubt the guys up top would approve of me going back into theatre now," he said.

"Yeah, yeah. You're a big hot shot and you're just here on leave. You're not a civilian again like us common people," Angie said with a put upon sigh. Even in profile, Peggy could see Steve's eyes go wide. He looked like he was on the verge of stammering apologies for causing offence, but Angie broke down into laughter almost immediately. She smacked him playfully on the chest as she chuckled, making him blush as he relaxed. "You're too easy to rile up. Shame though. I bet being a chorus girl for you would've been something else," she said with a mock leer.

Steve blushed harder. Peggy's reflection must have caught in the window as she smothered a laugh of her own, because Angie startled slightly and turned her head. Still leaning an elbow on the counter, she toasted Peggy with a piece of cake speared on the tines of her fork. "I finally found that cake!" she declared.

Steve had straightened hurriedly at the sight of Peggy. His eyes shot between her and Angie now, and his hands fidgeted slightly at his sides before he squared his shoulders. Eyeing him with amusement, Peggy noticed that he rather looked like he was considering standing at attention. Or perhaps reaching for his shield - which he wasn't carrying.

"I can see that," Peggy said to Angie, her lips quirking as she stepped into the room and put down her bag. Her eyes remained fixed on Steve and his look of panic, however. "Interesting choice for breakfast."

Angie took all of this in with a raised eyebrow and a curious look. "Gotta make sure I'm sugar sweet for this morning's audition," she said slowly, putting her fork back down. "Speaking of, I really should get going if I wanna be ready on time to schlep all the way to the Theatre District. Running late ain't gonna help my luck."

She looked between Peggy and Steve for another long moment, but Peggy simply made an agreeable sound in response.

"You must be tired, Peg. Getting in so late like this. I was just telling Steve how we have the best bed in this place."

Peggy finally blinked and looked away from Steve, furrowing her brow at Angie. "Oh?"

"Yeah, gigantic. Not to mention so soft it feels like floating on clouds. Probably plenty of room for three people in that thing, what'd'ya think?"

"I...," Peggy said, flummoxed for a moment. "Yes, I suppose you're right. It is rather excessive, like most of Howard's furniture."

If anything, Steve's expression had become more nervous at Angie's words. Peggy half wished she was carrying a weapon, just to see how fast he might dive for cover if she reached for it.

"You work too hard, Peg. You should really get comfortable and put those feet up. I shouldn't be out long this morning, anyway. I was up way too early because I was worried I'd oversleep, so I'll probably come straight back home after and join you both in that cushy bed in a few hours," Angie said. Then, just as Steve began to turn towards her in confusion, she leant over and kissed him on the cheek. He froze, turned halfway towards Angie but his eyes darting back to Peggy.

A jaunty bounce in her step, Angie walked over and kissed Peggy on the cheek as well. Then she was gone with a grin and a wink.

Her voice drifted back into the room from the hall a moment later. "Don't forget to try the cake, English. It's delish!"

"I- I don't-," Steve stammered. "I wouldn't assume-"

Peggy calmly stepped over and picked up Angie's discarded fork. She made a thoughtful noise as she popped it in her mouth. "Angie's right, this is superb. Howard's been spoiling us even more than usual lately."

Steve stared at her a moment, then cracked a smile and ducked his head. "I guess at least it's not fondue?" he asked, looking back up at her through his eyelashes.

Peggy chuckled with him and put the fork down. "Angie's right, I am tired," she said as she followed Angie's path to the door. There she paused, one hand on the doorframe as she looked back over her shoulder at Steve and smirked. "Speaking of, perhaps you might like to _fondue_ with us, Captain?"

Steve's stunned face was the last thing she saw as she slipped from the room. But a moment later she heard the clatter of cutlery and eager footsteps hurrying after her, and she smiled.

There would probably be just enough time for a nap after. Then they'd be refreshed and waiting when Angie returned from her trip across town.


End file.
